Civil disobedience can be a very effective method for changing laws. It's going on all the time concerning many "contraversial" issues. If a group of people feel a law is unjust they can use various strategies to call attention to their point of view, many gay rights advocates are comparing the actions of S.F. officials to the lunch counter sit-ins of the 50s and 60s. I always find it interesting when people have no problem with protests for their causes, but cannot accept that someone else has a right to protest and petition our government to change laws they feel are unjust. I disagree with many of the tactics of certain militant groups, regardless of whether I agree with the issue (Earth First! comes to mind), but I'm perfectly fine with groups using various protest methods to further their cause, even if I'm on the opposite side (anti-abortion activists, 10 commandment display issues), as long as they're non-violent and not interfering with another's civil rights.

 What I find interesting are your examples, speeding, drug use, illegal use of weapons, already rampant offenses here in America, choosing to take advantage of a city administration's decision doesn't really have any correlation to being more inclined to commit other offenses, do you speed, does that mean you are more likely to commit murder?

 Now for my opinion on  same sex marriage. I think S.F. has a point, a civil marriage certificate issued by a public entity is not the same as a religious ceremony performed by a particular faith. If said faith does not believe in same sex marriages, its followers have a right to maintain those beliefs. A civil marriage is not the same and should be subject to equal protection and due process provisions. For the life of me, I cannot understand how two people choose to consecrate their relationship affects me or most of America in any way, and if we're going to discuss the degradation of marriage in America there are plenty of heterosexual examples to keep us busy, we don't really need to concern ourselves with same sex unions.